News

Traditional wellness programs – focused mainly on physical health and fitness – are very popular and here to stay. But a shift is underway toward new approaches and initiatives that are intended to have a direct impact on health outcomes and costs.
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The past year has brought modest improvements, but opioid misuse and related deaths remain a national crisis, with the Massachusetts opioid-related death rate more than twice the national rate. (Note: 2 Opioid Webinars for Municipal Employers are available at end of this article.)
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Diabetes costs the U.S. economy more than $245 billion per year, making it the country’s most expensive disease, according to the personal finance website WalletHub.com. It’s the third most-deadly disease in the U.S., claiming more than 80,000 lives per year, and is becoming a daily concern for millions more.
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Musculoskeletal disorders often require costly MRI scans and x-rays that can be misleading, resulting in treatments and surgeries that may provide only temporary or no relief for the patient. Municipal managers see this reality in their spiking health care and workers' compensation costs, which often lead to greater lost time and lost productivity.
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The cost of healthcare in America continues to increase each year, and the price of pharmaceuticals along with it. So, what kinds of strategies are in place to improve costs for insured individuals and families and to reduce costs for the employer?
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Wellness programs have become an important component of employee education and healthcare benefits among for-profit and nonprofit organizations nationwide. The reason is clear: improving the wellbeing of an organization and its employees is a win-win proposition.
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Which substitute teachers are eligible for health insurance, and when are they eligible? It seems like it should be a straightforward query, but the answer, and statutory background, is complex.
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With the inevitable cold temperatures and snow around the corner, this is an ideal time to make the most of the available sunlight and fresh air and to plan for when it becomes a bit more difficult to venture out.
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If you’ve noticed your pharmacy bills creeping up, you’re not the only one. A recent report from prescription management company Express Scripts shows that prescription drug spending in the United States rose by 13 percent in 2014 – the largest annual increase in more than 10 years. And these increases don’t just affect patients, they affect payers and providers as well.
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